Process of extracting zinc.



E. H. SHORTMAN.

PROCESS 0I' EXTRAGTING ZINC.

APPLICATION FILED Dnc. 1a, 1901.

Patented Dec. 11,1908.

E. H. SHORTMAN. PROGBSS 0F EXTBAGTING ZINC.

APPLIGATIONJIILBD DBO. 13, 1907.

Patentgd Dec. 1, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES erternal receiver wherein thenearly pur.

AKlire-clay or other refractory UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD HENRY snoimiAN, oF atomen, ENGLAND, science or our-muro THE" NEWDELAVILLE srnLTER oolrm Lnlrrrn, or Smm; HILL, nNGLAnD. f

rnocnss or ma zum.

. imminent V Appunti mui rmt@ is, im. :mi n. man.

numana. 1, 190e.

To all idw/m it may concern:

Be it known that I, Eowm Hmurr 'SHORTMAN, subject of the of GreatBritain, residin at Station street, Bloxwich, in the county o Stafford,England have invented certain new and usefu) lmprovements Vin Processes:of Extracting Zinc, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference. to that process-of extracting zinc inwhich rovision has to be made for the separation o 4the lead that isusually present in the zinc vapors distilled over from the furnaceretorts to the zinc is. condensed and collected.

Hitherto it has been vone practice to use, inthe process of separatinglead from the vaporized zinc, -pieces .of refractory'material, which arearranged-as an intercepting or ltering medium within the mouth or'entrancev 'to the receiver in such wmanner that whilef the whole of thezinc vapor is permitted to pass from the retort to the receiver'tactiall the lead that would otherwise rie the medium.

l the .intercepting medium is attended by sev- Y taching thel receiver.om the retort, .andl

eral disadvantages, the principal one being. ofhighpuijity zinc' isvpossi le, and w en the interoepting ei-Z ciencyv ofa. charge of mediumbecomes imaired by the clogging of its pores by the in iiiterce ted leadand other 'matter .such ne;

izinc dust and .dirt V(asit does after oxid o the process has been inoperation for a comiently the primary object of the present invention is.to remedyA the disadvant es .above re# ferred to by the vsubstitutionor the refractory material, of a medium which camatany time, or .at anystage in .the extractionprocess, be removed or disposed of without riskof contaminating the purified zinc in .the receiver, and withoutnecessitating the v'dea'tchment of the said receiver from its retort,while two tapp" sauf-high purity zinc can be obtained.v o attain thisobject, it

l is proposed, according to the present invention, 'to use as the interpting medium, smallrpieces of `coal or ,coke2 pre erab'lyanthracite orother coal of a similar non-bituvfrom the retort shall -carover withsuch vapor is intercepted by .i Q gcarrymgoutthe'improv The .employment.of refractory material as 'tort and b is the receiver 'finto-the o f Iminuous character, which I have discovered has the property ofmechanically intercepting from zinc vapors without aifecting the purityof the zinc. This coal or coke .rel tively cold `condition during thewhole of the period that it is be- 7 used as the lead-intercept' medium.

' o insure that the whole o the vapors pass over and he' .subjected tothe intercepting action ofthe coal or the like and also to facilitatethe removal ofthe said medium after its eiciency has deteriorated, Ipropose to pro# vide the inner end of the receiver with va receptacle orsleeve which constitutes the onlyn'ieans of communication between theretort .and rcceiver and serves both .as a.' displaceable` carrierfoithe intercept' medium and as a trap Vor intermediate receiver for theinterlmproved lead-interne Ition arraigement above referred to and tedto beused in process, wherein the charge of is contained within a 1esleeve-recepta-j cle carried by the inner end of th receiver.

Fig. 2 is a cross section of Fig. 1, taken through the retort upon thedotted ai,

and towards the receiver and lead- `inlircepiion sleeve. (Fig. 3vis across section taken,thorough4 the receiver and sleeve upon the dottedhne m1. Fig. 1. Fig. tis a cross section upon the dotted through thereceiver. Fig. 5 is aseparate longitudlnal section of the receiver andFig. 6 is end view thereof. Fig. 7 shows a longitudinal Section Vand twoend views of the displaceable receptacle. Fig. 8 is a loir gitndinalsectional view of a modified form of receptacle. Fig. 9 is a 'like'viewV of .another modification.

The same leters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the{igures'of the 1 A The aceo anying illustrates an apparatus apted-foruse in carrying out my imp A for the purified zinc, the latter beingVvided with apar- `tally-clnaed inner the retort when the line zu Fig.'1 takenA ce ted lead. f th d lgum' l o U e accom anylng' rawingss alongitudinal acct-ion \view showing an roved process, wherein a is there- $1, which extends receiver is lut-ed in rposition and is providedwith an opening b2 for the reception of the lead-interception sleeve orreceptacle c, whereina filling or charge d of anthracite coal or othersuitab e intercepting mediumis contained and is secured therein by astopping of clay e, placed in the inner end of the said sleeve in such amanner that an aperture or opening e1, is left at theV said inner end ofthe sleeve to provide for the passage therethrough 'of the whole of thezinc lvapors that are distilled over from the retort, and when it isdesired for the intercepted lead to run back into the receiver, asuitable drainage hole e2 may be made through the bottom of the claystopping' e. Further, to provide an effectual trap for the lead which isintercepted by the charge of medium and to leave -a free outlet into thereceiver for the purified zinc vapors, the forward end of the sleeve(which is in the re. ceIVer) is provided with a baiiie or partition c1which extends for a suitable height from the bottom edge but leaving atop opening c2 wherethrough the purified vapors may issue into theinterior of the receiver.

The interception sleeve, after having been first illed with theanthracite medium, is adapted-to be luted in position in the opening b2in the retort end of the receiver and is arranged so that when thecharge has become so contaminated with intercepted lead and otherlmatter as to be rendered useless, the said sleeve can b e pushed backinto the retort by the introduction of a suitable appliance through theopen end of the receiver, and then ylies in the bottom of the saidretort where there is no risk of the purity` of the zinc in 'thereceiver being aected by the intercepted lead and other matter or by thedisplaced medium which is letin the retort during the final stage of theprocess.

By the use -of anthracite intercepting medium within a displaceablereceptacle as above described, I am enabled to obtain two tappings ofhigh-purity zinc before the interce tlon charge'becomes so farcontaminate with the intercepted lead and other matter as tonecessitatethe displacement of the sleeve or receptacle into the retortand the continuation of the process without making any provision for theinterception of the lead, for obtaining a final tapping ofordinary-grade spelten Fig. 8 shows a longitudinal section of a modifiedform of receptacle in which the outlet c2 leading therefrom into thereceiver is arranged in the middle of the end walls instead of at thetop thereof as in the previously-described form. This disposition isfound to facilitate the interception and sheading of the lead from thezinc vapors, as the solid walls above and below the said outletconstitute baliies against which the vapors impinge and are thereby madeto circulate more thoroughly throu h the medium sothat a higher degree ourity is obtained in the zinc vapors whic escape through the outlet intothe receiver.

I wish it to be understood that instead of introducing the anthracitemedium between the retort and receiver by means of a displaceablereceptacle such as herein described, said anthracite may, in some cases,be

'charged loose into the inner end of the receiver and be retainedtherein by a stopper of clay which is inserted in the said end of thereceiver and is provided with one or more drainage holes leading backinto the retort. With such an arrangement, the vapors ass into thevpartof the receiver which contains the medium through a space or openingwhich is left between -the clay stopping and `the top or crown of thereceiver, while the lead which is condensed and intercepted by themedium will run back through the drainage-holes in the sto pingl and ecollected in the outer end `of t e retort.

I have shown in the accompanying drawing an apparatus which may aid incarrying out the process embodying the subject matter of the presentapplication. It will be, understood, however, that the performance ofthe improved process is not limited to an apparatus of the speciliccharacter set forth in the drawing and, moreover, this apparatus formsno part of the present application, it being covered in a divisionalapplication, Serial No. 453,482 led September 17, 1908.

Havingy fully describe my invention, what Idesire to claim and secure byLetters Patent is A 1. The improvement in the art of extracting zinc bydistillation which consists in' passin the metallic vapors prior tocondensation through a lead-interceptino' medium consistin of anthraciteor hardD nonbituminous coa or hard coke in a condition that renders itchemically inert but active by its physical or mechanical properties.-

2. The improvement in the art of separating lead and zinc vapors in theextraction of zinc by distillation which consists in passing themetallic vapors prior to condensation through a lead-intercepting mediumwhich separates the lead by a mechanical or physical action, the saidmedium being used until its leadlinterceptmg properties are impaired,

and then displacing said intercepting medium'into the retort andcontinuing the zinc condensing process without interruption but withoutproviding for the interception of the lead.

3. The improvement in the art of separating the lead and zinc 'vapors inthe extraction of zinc by distillation which consists in passing themetallic vapors prior to condensation through a mechanically-actinglead-intercepting medium arranged between the vaporizmg and condensingareas, then displacing they leadintercepting medium with itscontaminated charge into the vaporizing l area and continuing thedistilling process.

4. The improvement in the art of extracting zinc by distillation whichconsists in.

separating lead from the zinc vapors by passin the metallic vapors priortoy condensatlon through a lead=intercepting medium of anthracite orhard bitumlnous coal or hard coke inclosed in fire clay, said mediumbeing kept relatively cool and in a chemically inert condition whichinsures the separation of the lead mechanicallyor `by the physicalproperties of said medium.

5. In the extraction of zine by distillation pors prior tothecondensation of the latter wherein the metallic vapors are passedthrough a lead intercepting medium of anthracite or hard bituminous coalor hard coke kept relatively cool and in'a chemically inert condition toeect the'iseparation of the lead. v

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

, EDWARD HENRY SHORTHN.

Witnesses:

HENRY NORTON SKERRETT, HAROLD GRIFFiTHs.

